Today it is effortless to distribute large, coherent units of information, such as books, using computers, networks, handheld devices, and other electronic technologies. Books distributed using electronic technologies are commonly referred to as electronic books or “eBooks.” More generally, items distributed using electronic technologies are commonly referred to as electronic items.
Electronic books, audio books, musical recordings, movies, videos, multimedia presentations, and other electronic items are becoming increasingly popular. Typically, once electronic items are created, the content thereof is fixed or static. That is, every time a user consumes an electronic item, the content presented will be the same. For example, no matter how many times you read a book, listen to a recording, or watch a movie, the content will be the same. While the content may be presented in a different order (e.g., random playback) and/or portions of the content may be skipped or omitted (e.g., parental controls), the content of the electronic item remains the same.
Because the content of conventional electronic items is static, the electronic items may have limited entertainment value and/or may become out of date. Users may read a favorite book or watch a favorite movie multiple times, but eventually the interest will fade. Text books, documentaries, and other non-fiction works quickly become out dated and must be replaced with new updated editions. Musical recordings quickly go out of style. Thus, conventional static electronic items, just like their physical counterparts, have limited ability to retain the interest of users.